


The Act of Falling in Love

by Snugglebuttkitten



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Episode: s02 Le Patineur | Frozer Spoilers, F/M, Falling In Love, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Frozer Rewrite, Identity Reveal, Idiots in Love, Lukanette, SO MUCH FLUFF, Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion, These Two Are Perfect, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23374195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snugglebuttkitten/pseuds/Snugglebuttkitten
Summary: “It may seem strange, falling in love with someone because of a gesture, but sometimes you can read an entire person in a single moment. The way you study a grain of sand and understand the universe. Love at first sight might or might not be a thing, but love in a single moment is.”At the end of the Frozer Episode, Marinette runs after Adrien only to inevitably botch her attempts at admitting her feelings. Again. Big surprise there, am I right? But what if she didn't go after Adrien? What if she chose to take the subway with Luka that day after all? What if she opened her heart to a boy that actually liked her back?

This isn't the story of Marinette and Adrien, of unrequited love, old flames, and inevitable heartbreak. This is the story of Marinette and Luka, of mutual feelings, new beginnings, and hopefully of Happy Endings.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 22
Kudos: 76





	1. A Change in Direction

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, guys. Listen up. I have a lot of FEELINGS, particularly regarding how much Thomas Astruc botched the whole Love Square. Don't get me wrong, I love the love square but as it stands now it is toxic and not something I could get behind unless a LOT (and I mean a lot a LOT) of character development happens in the next season. So as I find myself further and further in the Lukanette Endgame ship (which I swore I would not get behind when I first learned Luka existed), I find myself needing a lot more Lukanette than the fandom actually offers. So sit back, relax, grab your popcorn, because this is the fluff train and I intend to deliver ;)

Marinette felt an ache in her heart as she watched Adrien, the literal love of her life, help another girl into her car. She knew she was meant to be happy for him. Sure, Kagami was intense but she wasn’t a bad person and Adrien was her friend, first and foremost. She owed it to him to support and yes, even encourage him if he happened to like another girl. So why did it feel like her heart was slowly withering up in her chest?

“Do you want to take the Subway together, Marinette?” Luka said, but the ravenette barely heard him and she certainly didn’t look away from the scene that was unfolding before her eyes. Adrien was leaving, and with him yet another chance to admit to the blond that she was in love with him. How many times had she botched her love confessions now? How many times had she made a fool out of herself in the name of love? “You should probably go over and talk to him,” Luka said, and this time his words were enough to pull her gaze away from the departing blond. “Thanks for inviting me out today.”

“Thanks for coming with me, Luka,” she smiled thankfully, grateful that Luka was so understanding of her feelings even if they weren’t in his favor. It was more than she could say for Chat Noir, after the way he had acted during that day’s Akuma. She wondered if that was simply Luka being Luka, or if maybe it had something to do with him being older and therefore more mature. If she had to guess, she would say it was just Luka being Luka. He was a good guy and not for the first time, a small traitorous part of her heart wished that he was the one she loved. Perhaps it was that same traitorous part of her heart that had her rising up on her tiptoes to kiss the older boy’s cheek, before she took off after the silver town car that was now pulling away from the curb. She only got five steps, mouth opening to shout the boy’s name when she came to a sudden and screeching halt and the words died in her throat.

 _What is wrong with me?_ Marinette wondered, trying to will her feet to move, her mouth to work, but it was like some unseen force was gluing her to the spot. She stared at the departing town car, and felt a sharp tug in her heart. Not towards the car and the blond boy within, but behind her. Marinette glanced between the car and the tall boy walking away in the opposite direction, both of which were about to round the corner. She would miss her chance if she didn’t do something, _anything_ , and fast. Her mouth opened, words finally seeming to return to her as she called out a name, one that was both surprising and yet sort of expected at the same time.

“Luka!” She spun on her heels, feet suddenly unstuck as she turned to face the figure that stood looking back at her, a bemused expression on his face. He didn’t say anything, his face kind and patient as he waited for whatever she had to say. It was now or never. Adrien was… he was amazing. There was no doubt about that. He was kind and compassionate, he never took people for granted, and he was one of the most selfless people she had ever met. He was everything she had ever wanted in a boyfriend, the perfect Fairytale Prince. But Adrien didn’t see _her_. How many times had he said she was ‘just a friend’? Hell, he had known her for much longer than he had known Kagami, and yet it was her that he had gone after. Not Marinette. 

Then there was Luka. Luka who had made her heart flutter from the moment she met him. Luka who was kind, and gentle, who understood her in ways no one else did. Luka, who despite having made his interest in her clear, was more than willing to step back so that she could pursue Adrien. In a way, Adrien was the safe choice. With his obliviousness, she could love him from afar and never run the risk of rejection. Especially if she kept chickening out of actually confessing. With Luka, she wouldn’t be able to hide. Not from his feelings, and not from her own. But she was Ladybug, and Ladybug had never hesitated to take risks when necessary. Perhaps this was just one of those necessary risks. Put herself out there, see what happens and where this, whatever _this_ was, would take her. She swallowed, throat dry and scratchy and looked at the boy once more. He was waiting, patient as always, that same soft expression on his face. Her heart stuttered, and suddenly Alya’s words came back to her from that first day she had met Luka Couffaine. _I’m thinking Marinette the Compass has a new statue._

“W-would you… Do you still want to take the Subway together?” She blurted the words out, so rushed she was almost afraid Luka wouldn’t understand her. But then that smile was back on his face, so soft and warm and welcoming, and it made some of her anxieties die away.

“I’d love to,” he said, holding his hand out in invitation. Marinette forced herself to move closer, and the closer she got she found the easier the steps became. Her hand slid into his, this time without the glove between them, and it didn’t escape her notice that their fingers slotted together perfectly. Like they were made for each other. Lifting her gaze from their clasped hands she found his blue gaze locked on her own. “Ready to go, Mama-Marinette?”

She glanced over her shoulder, where the town car had long since disappeared, and took a deep breath. Maybe Alya was right and it was time she got a new statue? Or maybe she could do away with that analogy altogether because she could admit the way she had acted around Adrien with her crush was unhealthy and a bit obsessive. So no, maybe she wasn’t a compass and he wasn’t a statue. But maybe, just maybe, they could be something even better, if she just gave it a chance. So she smiled warmly and turned back to Luka. It would take time; she wouldn’t pretend that her feelings had meant nothing and she wouldn’t pretend that she could get over Adrien in a day. But for the first time, she was open to the possibility of something new and just as amazing, if not moreso, than what she had ever imagined being with Adrien would be.

“I’m ready,” she said firmly, smiling up at the boy. Hand in hand, Luka led Marinette away from the ice rink and towards the nearby subway tunnels. Unlike with Adrien, she found that conversation with Luka flowed naturally. Sure, she got embarrassed from time to time, but his gentle teasing and warm smiles were quick to shake her from her awkwardness. By the time she drifted off that night, her dreams were plagued not by eyes of Peridot, but those as deep and as blue as the ocean. Marinette couldn’t find it in herself to mind one bit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Don't Find Love. Let Love Find You. That's Why It's Called "Falling In Love". Because You Don't Force Yourself To Fall. You Just Fall._

Luka was undeniably on cloud nine. Sure, yesterday hadn’t gone exactly as planned and he wasn’t certain he could classify it as a _date_ but the ending led him to believe that it could still be considered a win. Of course, he knew Marinette was in love with Adrien. Just looking at the girl, you could see it in her eyes and in the way she gravitated around the blond as if he were the center of her universe. More so it was written in every nuance of her heart song and the way it rose and crashed depending on her interactions with the model. She had met the model first so it was understandable and he wasn’t about to hold a grudge against either one of them. But he also knew that Marinette wasn’t as unaffected by him as she tried to appear. The way her heart song shifted and changed around him was far more subtle than around the blond, but it was something and Luka would take what he could get.

The ride home on the subway had been far too short for his liking, but it had definitely been a lot more fun than any subway ride he had taken in the past. Marinette had a great sense of humor when she wasn’t stuck up in her head. She was witty and charming, surprisingly feisty despite how sweet she always appeared to be, and it made him like her more. Seeing the different facets and variables that made her _her_ made him like her more. It made him want to see more, find out what made her tick. Smiling wistfully, Luka leaned back against the wall behind his bed, fingers already plucking out the familiar and unfinished tune that was Marinette’s heart song. The melody was subtle, but there were undercurrents there of something bolder and braver. He had a feeling that when he finally figured her out, her song would become his masterpiece.

“I know that look,” Juleka appeared at his bedroom door and a teasing grin lit up her face as she watched him. Her hair was pinned back from her face, something she had started doing more and more after Marinette helped her during the Reflekdoll Akuma. “I take it the date went well?”

Luka bent over his guitar allowing his hair to fall over his eyes, but the smile and blush on his face were unmistakable. “It wasn’t a date,” he mumbled, not mentioning how much he wished it were.

“Yeah, sure it wasn’t,” she said with a smile that said she didn’t believe him for a second. “And I suppose, since it wasn’t a date, you _don’t_ want to go to the Dupain-Cheng bakery with me?” She spoke slyly, watching her brother from the corner of her eye. Luka, despite his best efforts to not give his sister anymore fodder, perked up.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that. I mean, I could always use a Pain Au Chocolat, and they are the _best_ bakery in Paris,” he said with a cavalier shrug, setting his guitar aside.

“Uh-huh. I’ll be ready to go in ten minutes,” she said with another smirk and a roll of her eyes. As quickly as she had come, his sister disappeared down the hall towards her own bedroom. Luka stared at the door for another long minute before leaping to his feet and sliding his door shut. If he was going to see Marinette, he needed to get dressed in proper clothes!

Marinette sighed boredly, staring listlessly at the sketchbook spread out before her. The dress she was working on was half-formed but now she was experiencing a bit of artist’s block. Mostly she wasn’t sure what kind of skirt she wanted. When she had started on the dress that morning, she had a clear image in her head. Now that image evaded her and it was more than a little frustrating. Groaning, she dropped her head to the counter with an audible _thwack_ , the groan turning into a whimper of pain. That was going to leave a mark. Luckily, the bakery was blissfully empty. It was Sunday, and as usual it was pretty slow that day. Normally she never helped out on Sundays but today her parents had a large order that needed to be done and ready for delivery by that evening, so she was tasked with manning the front counter and helping out the occasional customer.

Normally, she wouldn’t even mind helping her parents in the bakery. It was fun, working together as a family. She just wished that it wasn’t so freaking slow. Too much time with only her thoughts for company meant that her mind was running rampant. And it wasn’t thoughts of Adrien in her head, but Luka. The way the skin around his eyes crinkled when he smiled, his dimples, the feel of his long, lean fingers slotting through hers. Her heart fluttered, perhaps more than a little eager to forget about the blond Adonis that she used to go gaga over. Fingers tightening over the pencil, she momentarily abandoned the dress and found a clean page. Almost of its own accord, the pencil began to fly over the page. She barely noticed, thoughts locked on a certain blue-eyed musician.

She wondered what he was doing today. Their date yesterday (if one could consider it that) had been more fun than she would have anticipated, especially considering how she was pining for Adrien that day. He had been quite effective at distracting her, and skating with him had been a blast. How he had managed to make _her_ , the Queen of clumsiness, look and feel graceful was beyond her but he had done it. She wondered if she could convince him to redo their date at the Ice Rink. This time, it would be just the two of them though. No Adrien, no Kagami, no Akuma, just her and-

“Hey, Marinette.”

“WAH!!!” Marinette jolted at the voice, having missed the tinkling of the bell above the door that announced she had customers. Her pencil flew from her hand, clattering across the counter and falling to the ground at the feet of-

“Luka! A-and Juleka. What a pleasant surprise,” she squeaked, glancing down at the sketchbook before her. An incredibly detailed image of Luka skating, a serene smile on his face, adorned the page. With a gasp of mortification, she slammed the book shut and peeked up at the siblings, hoping they hadn’t seen. Judging by the amusement in Juleka’s eyes and the small smile on Luka’s lips, she guessed she hadn’t been successful in hiding it but they were too polite to mention it. _Great, now Luka_ knows _I have a crush on him,_ she thought in annoyance, before her thoughts caught up to her and she paused in surprise. _Did_ she have a crush on Luka? It seemed too soon to be sure; she didn’t want to rush into the potential feelings like she did with Adrien. So she chose to put that thought on the back burner and come back to it later.

“Luka really wanted a Pain Au Chocolat and he just _had_ to come to the best bakery in France,” Juleka deadpanned, while beside her Luka turned red.

“That’s not-” he protested before cutting himself off to glare at his sister. When he turned back to the ravenette, his expression softened and a small smile curved his lips. “I might have had some ulterior motives for coming over.”

“O-oh?” Marinette said, feeling a familiar heat steal over her cheeks as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest.

“Y-yeah. Actually I wanted to ask…” he paused, fingers twisting together as he picked at his black nail polish and it dawned on her that Luka was _nervous_. It was a gratifying feeling and she felt a swell of warmth in her chest that she was too afraid to put a name to.

“Yes?” She prompted, noting that Juleka had made herself scarce, checking out some of the displays on the other side of the shop to give them the illusion of privacy.

“That is to say I was wondering if… if you might want to go out. On a date? W-with me?” Luka tucked his chin, glancing up at her from beneath the fall of black and turquoise hair and gave her a hopeful and ridiculously charming smile. Luka, who was normally so calm and collected, so self-assured and confident in his own skin (basically the exact opposite of everything Marinette was), was nervous about asking her out on a date. It was stupidly endearing, and she found that the traitorous part of her heart was growing at a rapid rate.

“I- I’d really like that, Luka,” she said, smiling shyly up at him. His answering grin was well worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Let Me Know What You Think! Your comments give me life and encourage me to write more <3


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